Page 33 of Hey, Daddy

Older.

All of them were old.

There was the oldest Pug I’d ever seen, and then an even older Great Dane that looked like he may or may not keel over at any second.

The one that caught my attention the most was the yellow Lab with the whitest face I’d ever noticed on a dog.

The name on his kennel said “Butters.”

“This is the geriatric section,” he said. “All of these dogs are scheduled for euthanasia.”

My gasp had him explaining.

“I’m just kidding,” Haze admitted. “But all three are pretty fuckin’ old. The Pug and the Great Dane were dropped off, owner surrender, because they found out they had cancer. Bad cancer.”

“Then why wouldn’t they hold them for the rest of their lives?” I felt emotions well up inside my chest.

He walked over and let all three out of their kennels.

All of them gathered around his feet and got as excited as they could with the energy they had.

“They’re not really going to get euthanized,” he admitted. “We just tell people that so they don’t get into their minds that they’re adoptable to just anybody. They’re not. All of them will require a ton of work if they are adopted. My mom takes these two home with her every night.” He pointed to the yellow Lab. “He hangs out in the office at night.”

I felt a swell of emotion rise up inside of me and said, “He’s the one I want to take home.”

Why?

Because he was now looking at me with soulful brown eyes that made me want to wrap him up in my arms and hold him forever.

For the next four weeks, he was the best dog I’d ever had the pleasure to have.

We did everything together.

I broke the law and got him a service dog vest so he could go into the stores with me.

I took him out to eat with me.

I walked him every morning like clockwork.

We chased balls—albeit not very far.

We snuggled and watched movies every night.

He was the best friend I never knew I needed.

Until one day a month later when I woke up and he was just…gone.

I’m so sad, I need a shoulder to put my legs on.

—Benedict to Haze

HAZE

“Buttersrooski!” my neighbor sing-songed. “Time to wake up, big boy!”

I smiled, my gaze going from my coffee to my phone where I had her living room displayed on my laptop.

“Butters?” she called, coming out of her room with a large t-shirt and leggings on. “Wakey wakey!”

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